Wygnettes: What you leave behind
by CAMIR
Summary: A collection of connected short stories centered around Wynne. During her travels with the Grey Warden we get to know her as a steadfast woman. But maybe there is more to her than meets the eye.
1. Before Ostagar

**What you leave behind - **

**Wygn****ettes**

_Disclaimer_: **EA** and **Bioware** own Dragon Age, the whole Franchise and the characters. No doubt about that – because they have given me _the_ gaming experience of the year. However they also left a _lot_ of room for own ideas – and I'm taking advantage of that now.

_Author's Note_: There are some things I should say beforehand. First of all: I am no English native speaker – so if there are any grammar mistakes, bad wording, syntax errors and anything else, please forgive me. And if the errors are pretty grave and lessen your reading experience please tell me. I'm still eager to learn and to improve myself.

_How this story works_: I'm not even halfway through with the game – however I already encountered so many opportunities to write about, that I decided to do so. As you might or might not have guessed: **Wynne**'s my favourite character, so the stories will focus on her. I intend to ship her with **First Enchanter Irving**. You met him? Good! If not, you surely will. And maybe you understand what I mean. If you have any ideas for a Wygnette, tell me, and I see what I can do. Some chapters might contain spoilers, but don't worry – I will warn you.

_What else is there to know_: To avoid any confusion I should tell you about my PC. She's not the protagonist in the stories, but I cannot guarantee that she will not appear. May I present Auður (for pronunciation issues and such see here: .org/wiki/au%C3%B0ur ) Cousland, proud daughter of the late teyrn Cousland and accomplished warrioress. She mostly acts in a saintly kind of way, trying to make the world a better place. If she succeeds nobody knows. However she is accompanied by her faithful wardog Snorri.

_Thanks and dedications:_ I want to dedicate this story foremost to chinahaeschen, who was with me most of the time I played and without whose input I would never have started writing. I also dedicate it to all fellow players of this masterpiece and those who have yet to play it. And I want to thank the team from Dragon Age Wiki .com/wiki/Dragon_Age_Wiki without whose information I could never have developed my ideas. Thanks guys! You helped a lot. Especially on lore. Let the games begin!

**Chapter I**

**Before Ostagar**

"You are already packing?" Irving's voice sounded surprised and a bit sad when he entered Wynne's chamber. He had not expected her to leave so soon.

"I have to. They told me to be ready before dawn. It's a long way to Ostagar and we cannot afford to be late."

"I suppose you're right." He sighed, still in disbelief over the events of the last few days. It seemingly was not enough that life in the Circle as such was dangerous with demons lurking at every corner of your mind. He had heard that the news of a new threat became direr with each passing day.

According to recent reports from the Korcari Wilds hordes of darkspawn were observed to be amassing there. And as he understood it their already large numbers were growing. Some people even spoke of a new Blight, but Irving wouldn't go as far as that. Not yet.

However, the sensible man he was, he could understand the king's concerns and the pleas for help from the Circle. To his surprise Knight-Commander Greagoir had agreed to answer the plea and send some mages, but to his greater surprise Wynne had volunteered to go as well. He had hoped to speak to her once more before she was going, but until now he had always sought excuses to avoid her. Now that he realized that his time was running low he had to do it, because it probably was his last chance of seeing her alive. Slowly he approached her.

"I don't want you to go," he finally managed to say after several minutes of silence. "You could die there."

She stopped packing and turned to him, a bittersweet smile on her face.

"Ever since I have arrived here at the Circle, death was a possibility for me. I don't fear it and to be honest I am grateful to have come this far. I have a feeling that the troops might be in need of someone like me."

"It's true. You're the most accomplished healer I have ever met," he had to agree. "And I don't doubt that you will be very useful to them. As a matter of fact I believe you will do your very best. I even believe your abilities might turn the battle to our favour, considering the powers you possess. But that is not the point." His voice trailed of. "I cannot stand losing you. Not after all the things that were."

"I know," she replied sadly. "But this is not about us. It's about the world as we know it. We're both not as young as we used to be and maybe it's time to step aside and let others continue our work."

He shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Please don't do this. Please don't hide behind a façade of duty and righteousness. This might be the last chance I have to talk to you and I intend to use it. I want you to know that I am sorry. I am sorry for all the things that you had to endure because of me and I am sorry that things were never again the same as they had been before. I know that it's long past now, but I never brought myself to telling you this. The truth is I was ashamed."

She shook her head. Almost unbelieving.

"Irving, you must know that I have long forgiven you. It was not your fault alone and you know that. It's true that things weren't the same afterwards, but I still considered you a dear friend and…" She paused. "…more."

"I don't deserve any of this. But I thank you for your kindness."

She smiled.

"It is no trouble."

Irving hesitated. He looked closely at the woman before him, the woman who had always treated him with such understanding and consideration. They had shared quite a history together and had remained friends until this very day.

But something else, the things they had shared beyond friendship had been lost over the years. The _incident_ years ago was partly responsible for this change, but he also had to blame himself. He had retreated from her out of fear to repeat the mistakes he had made and thus he had tried to continue a friendship on a less intimate level. Surprisingly she had never asked questions; instead she seemed to have accepted his decisions which only made him feel guiltier. Years had passed since then and he had always believed things would remain the same, giving him all the time he needed – but now everything was changing rapidly and he had to realize that he had wasted valuable years in the vain hope that he could address this matter later. Which he hadn't.

She seemed to sense what was troubling him and somehow he was not surprised at all.

"Please stop blaming yourself, Irving." She remarked after another few seconds of silence. "You cannot change the past and I know you for the man you are. As such you will remain forever in my heart."

She bowed over and ever so carefully she kissed his cheek. "Do not forget this."

He put his arms around her and pulled her close, immersing himself in maybe one last embrace.

"I won't. I promise. And in case you did not know, I love you. Still."

He felt her smile.

"I have always known."


	2. When the dawn breaks…

**Chapter II**

**When the dawn breaks…**

The army camp at Ostagar was everything Wynne had expected from what she had heard.

She and her fellow mages had arrived early in the evening and it was clear that there was not much they could do before the following day. While the Tranquil who accompanied the group of Mages and Templars set up their tents she took the time to stroll through the camp.

Many soldiers were scattered among various campfires drinking, singing and somehow trying to ignore the frightening prospects of the coming days. Neither the king nor his master general Teyrn Loghain were to be seen anywhere and she suspected that both stayed up late discussing future battle plans. Rumour had it that both king and teyrn were not getting along as well as they were supposed to, but Wynne decided that it was none of her business, since there were no indications that these disagreements would disrupt the success of the battles that followed.

The mood in the camp was one of subdued uneasiness and although the Mages were sent to alleviate some of this uneasiness she and her colleagues were eyed with growing unrest.

Mages could not to be trusted. Why else were they so rarely seen outside their tower? To have them here at a close proximity did nothing to release the tension of the soldiers although the Chantry had made sure that the Mage's tents were a bit apart from the rest.

Wynne could understand these feelings although it made her a bit sad that it barred her from helping people.

During her walk through the camp she had encountered an infirmary, where several wounded soldiers fought for their lives. Most of them had to suffer severe pains all inflicted by darkspawn they had met during scouting trips. Of course she offered her help, but the nurse only looked at her suspiciously before she declined.

Something similar happened also when she tried to speak with the prisoner, who was placed in a cage near the infirmary so she finally decided to return to the Mages' encampment.

She did not want to impose herself on people who felt uncomfortable in her presence. The only reason she was here was that the king had asked for the Circle's help and she was still willing to give it.

So she sat down under a tree near the Mage's tents and tried to sort out her thoughts.

She realized that she did not know much about Ostagar, except that it was an Old Tevinter ruin. Its most prominent feature, the tower of Ishal was off-limits for the moment, because there seemed to have happened something unexpected. Apart from that there was nothing spectacular about these old stones. At least nothing Wynne could detect at first glance. However she decided to read more about this place when she returned to the Circle. _If _returned…

Lost in thought she touched the amulet that hang around her neck. Irving's parting gift. He had told her that it would protect her from all evil she might encounter and although she had never seen a darkspawn in real she had read enough about them to respect and fear them.

Irving…

A part of her regretted that she had to leave him like that. As long as she could remember he had been at her side and this was the first time after her initiation that she was somewhere without him. Even after that devastating incident he had remained around her, giving her the feeling that she was not alone. Of course their lives had never been the same afterwards, but she had only wanted to protect him then. It had not been easy and it still was not, but she had learned to accept her fate. Never had she harboured any bad feelings against him, although he had felt that it must have been the case.

Their whole relationship had been full for misunderstandings after all these events and finally they had chosen to simply remain friends – until he had sought her out before she was leaving for the battle. She turned the amulet in her hands and swore to return to him.

She owed him that one.

Before she could indulge further in these plans she heard somebody approaching and was quite surprised to see a human female in heavy armour. The woman seemed preoccupied like something terrible had happened to her recently. And to Wynne's surprise the woman looked at her with a curious expression.

"May I help you?" the Mage finally asked.

"Who are you?" the woman replied. Her blonde hair was reflected by the fires of the camp.

"I am Wynne one of the mages of the Circle. I was sent here to help the king's army. And who are you?"

"My name is Auður Cousland. I was recruited to the Grey Wardens just recently."

"A Grey Warden? It is good to have you around. The king believes that you will be helping him defeat the darkspawn. At least that is what I have heard."

"It is true. But to be honest I am still trying to find my way around camp."

"I had the opportunity to explore a great deal of these premises, maybe I can be of assistance?"

"Maybe. But before that I was wondering if you know anything about these darkspawn creatures? I keep asking people, but nobody here wants to talk about them. I fear it is not very becoming of a Grey Warden to be not to know anything about the enemy one is about to fight."

"I gladly share all my knowledge … The Circle has some detailed records of previous battles."

And so she did. She tried to answer to the best of her ability all the questions the young woman posed finally being able to help somebody. The young Warden listened quite intently, trying to remember as much as possible, but finally she took her leave, because it seemed that she had business elsewhere.

Wynne looked after her.

This Blight surely brought people together and she had the distinct feeling that this wasn't the last she had seen of this Auður Cousland.


	3. 3 Once more unto the breach

**Chapter III**

**Once more unto the breach…**

"They're coming!! "Prepare yourselves!"

Cries like these were carried all over the army camp and it seemed that the wait was finally over.

The calm before the storm was one of the worst things that could happen to a soldier. It only made one wonder what horrors lay in wait and thus it gave time for too vivid imaginations.

Wynne knew the stories about the darkspawn only too well to realize that the prospect of fighting them could frighten the boldest soldiers.

She and her mages howeverwere told to stay behind and she was unsure whether she was happy about this order.

Of course it meant that she was not in the front line when the battle began, but it also meant that she could not help as efficiently as she has hoped. And it also meant that she and the other mages were not trusted enough. They still were suspected to do something unwanted when the opportunity arose.

She sighed and returned quickly to the big mages' tent at the northern border of the camp, where she had put her few possessions in order to make some last minute preparations. Inside many bags were laying around, their owners having to deal with other problems than caring for their belongings. Some carpets lay on the floor to make the tent more comfortable. But any air of comfort was destroyed by the dense atmosphere everywhere.

She had brought nothing more with her than brown travel robes, her senior enchanter's staff and a small leather bag, which contained a few rations and some Lyrium Potions she intended to use when her concentration was about to fail.

Irving's amulet hung already around her neck and apart from that there was nothing else she could do. She remained in her clothes, because any kind of armour would only have hindered her and the flow of magic.

Thus she grabbed her staff and slung the leather back around her shoulder before she hurried off to the arranged meeting point near the large bridge in the east.

Almost all of the templars that had accompanied her and her fellow mages were already waiting there as were most of the other enchanters. The few that were still missing were on their way. Wynne had met them when she was leaving the tent.

Darkness had finally set in and she could see fires burning everywhere. Some belonged to the king's army, but there was also a huge formation of lights that was slowly approaching out of the wilds. She was too far away to recognize any details, but even without them she felt a certain dread.

She could hear some distant last-minute orders shouted down where the main army was positioned, but with the exception of Duncan she did not see any other Grey Warden. Although she had not kept track of the Warden's doings this struck her as a little odd. Why would they be kept from the fighting?

But before she could spend another thought on them the sharp voice of one of the templars demanded her concentration.

"Time is running! Go to your designated posts!"The orders were short and clear.

She sent a last prayer to the maker, determinedly grabbed her staff tighter and then she followed the orders, under the templars' watching eyes.

The mage's post was situated slightly above the main army itself, which meant she had a good view into the valley where the darkspawn were expected to arrive.

It should have been possible to hit them with some carefully aimed magic missiles and other long-range attacks, but it would be extremely difficult to heal and help anybody from this exalted position.

But who was she to question the generals' decisions? She would do what was expected of her and maybe even more.

Everybody around her seemed tense and she knew she was no exception.

She held her breath and watched the lights come nearer and nearer.

And then... Hell broke loose.


End file.
